Power has returned to most of Texas after a week of statewide blackouts caused by historic winter storms, but millions still don't have access to safe or running water.
The big picture: A Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokesperson told CNN that some 8.8 million people, or roughly a third of the state's population, still had issues with their water supply Sunday evening. Food banks and volunteers delivered bottled water to thousands of people in the past few days.
By the numbers: Over 3.4 million bottles of water have been delivered into Texas via helicopters, trucks, and airplanes supplied by the federal government and North Carolina and Kentucky, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said at a Sunday press briefing.
- “As you can see today, there will be millions more delivered," he said.
Of note: The Public Utilities Commission of Texas has paused customer disconnections for nonpayment, Abbott said, following a spike in energy bills.
A plumber repairs a burst pipe in a home on in Houston on Feb. 21. Plumbers throughout Texas are working overtime to repair burst pipes in homes and businesses following the storm. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Volunteers with the Houston Food Bank at NRG Stadium on Feb. 21 in Houston, Texas. Thousands lined up on Sunday. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A volunteer moves bottled water at the Central Texas Food Bank mass distribution site in Del Valle, Texas, on Feb. 20. Photo: Thomas Ryan Allison/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Volunteers prepare to hand out water at the Fountain Life Center on Feb. 20 in Houston, Texas. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A supermarket in Houston on Feb. 20. Photo: Francois Picard/AFP via Getty Images
Workers at the Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches taproom in Austin, Texas, fill up bottles of potable water to donate on Feb. 20. Photo: Thomas Ryan Allison/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A drone view of cars lining up for water at the Fountain Life Center on Feb. 20 in Houston. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A Houston police officer stands near pallets of water at the Astros Youth Academy on Feb. 20. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the number of Texans still affected by the water crisis.
